A survey of #PNG’s fragmented political landscape in 2012

BY GARY JUFFA

This is of course the Papua New Guinea version, played out in the most vicious arena of life in Papua New Guinea – politics.

8th August 2012, after the events of the first ever session of the 9th Parliament of Papua New Guinea, an event in itself having being the result of great political intrigue building into a crescendo of expectations throughout the entire nation, fuelling discussions, small talk, rumour, from hamlet to buai station, urban centre to remote decaying district stations, middle class family dinners and settlement black market sessions…for a while capturing the nation’s attention and then suddenly evaporating into an anticlimax of supposed alliances and support on one side and defiant apathy on the other, leaving onlookers, political experts and foreign interests puzzled and irritated, let down almost, becoming discussion at dinner parties and cocktails where the antics of leaders of the land of the unexpected are discussed and examined by investors, expatriate mercenaries and missionaries, consultants and confidence men, house wives and bankers, lawyers, liars and accountants.

For an overwhelming majority…at least it seemed so… there was in the air a sense, if one knew enough or could sufficiently discern, of possible sudden moves or was it an invisible political feint…was it just intuitive deferral for 18 months or was it genuine solidarity…the rumours abound, the rhetoric oozes out of a cup full of political possibilities…bruised egos, we will return to this later..

Then of course there is that moment where the feast is unearthed and the pig is divided…who gets what and why and why not…who is embarrassed and who is irritated, who is bitterly disappointed and who is pleasantly surprised…who begins to plot their revenge and who pledges “till-death-do-us part” support…The indignant loyalists, pledging their undying love for the marriage but cheating already on their minds…the hopefuls, having sufficiently prostrated themselves, proffering their loyalty and willingness to act the bag man…the players undecided and just looking, comfortable enough in their numbers to consider migrating to where the grass may become greener…

So the recipients stand up, their trophies in hand, some of gold (economic) others no (non economic) their minds calculating a formula that factors power, wealth and perhaps people, their egos soaring for some and for others, consoling themselves that it is merely temporary and sacrifices must be made and other such excuses…

So now we have the new Ministers, the politicians who are placed in positions of leadership and expected to lead but may not be able to and may not care sufficiently to and may not be interested or even may be leaders but leaders of only their own ego and misguided self-worth. Amongst this collection are there real leaders? Survey the dreary landscape, littered with the shells of past alliances and oozing with the afterbirth of new arrangements, and see if the eye picks up a glimmer of hope standing out.

Now these new Ministers now have a great challenge ahead of them...will they manage with mediocrity or intelligent decisiveness? Of course time will tell, already there is clear indication that posts have been awarded to those who were loyal rather than those who can demonstrate true representation of the people...there are some who can manage but will they be able to rise up for the people and cry out with the necessary outrage at perpetrations against the interests of our nation, our people our future? Or will they merely go through the motions and engage in rhetoric, innuendo and meaningless but diplomatic banter on the floor of parliament an in their efforts?

This has of course been the case it appears for the last 37 years and there has been very little evidence of leadership that is fearless and aggressive, nationalistic and passionate in the protection of Papua New Guinea’s interests. Much political effort by politicians who are not necessarily leaders, has been about sitting on fences and making colourful but diplomatic and meaningless statements and speeches about issues of very little concern to the average Papua New Guinean.

Now that the Ministers have been appointed, let us see who are the puppeteers…who will pull their strings and this is not hard to make out if one were to delve behind the scenes and take note of the sponsors, to understand the links and associations and benefits that accrue or are delivered or exchanged…do these sponsors for example reside in the North and make their decisions whilst sipping green tea or do they swill champagne in their fancy clubs of exclusion in the West? Both locations bound by the unholy trinity – power, greed and profit.

Is there perhaps a possibility, and here search carefully to see the glow that is perhaps the glimmer of HOPE that indicates that there is a leader, not a politician or a minister but a true LEADER, a champion who will fight for what is just and right and stand by his people and at all times consider the interests of our economy, our future…rare but not impossible…a John Guise, dismissed for being too nationalistic and therefore radical and unpliable for future interests so to be shut out and kept out, or a Iambaky Okuk, too hard headed and cunning and no good for predictions and the appropriate manipulations required to manage by proxy and therefore left out in the cold…

So now the puppet masters continue their game of chess, advance and retreat, win or lose ground or perhaps cut swathes of timber or dig ounces of ore, even under the sea…whatever happens, there will be intrigue…bruised egos guarantee that…